---
title: A boy is nervous in a polygraph test and the machine says «lying». W… — Telling when someone may be lying · tree and pragmatics
description: A boy is nervous in a polygraph test and the machine says «lying». Why might it be wrong? Test 4 · ★★ of lesson 198 «Telling when someone may be lying» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was right
---

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# Test 4 · ★★ · Telling when someone may be lying

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A boy is nervous in a polygraph test and the machine says «lying». Why might it be wrong?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 4 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** boy, machine, test · **What happens:** be, say, lie · **To what, where:** polygraph test · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 4 · ★★ of lesson 198 «Telling when someone may be lying» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school. The page gives the question's syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause, then the 4 options as the student saw them, each with its tree and pragmatics. Every text is parsed by Mova itself. How the student answered it, with the score of every option and why: [the test at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/everyday/198-telling-when-someone-may-be-lying/#t4).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* A boy is nervous in a polygraph test and the machine says «lying».

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:198-telling-when-someone-may-be-lying:t4:1
# text = A boy is nervous in a polygraph test and the machine says «lying».
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	boy	boy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	nervous	nervous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	polygraph	polygraph	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	compound	_	_
8	test	test	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	machine	machine	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nsubj	_	_
12	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	conj	_	_
13	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	14	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	lying	lie	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	12	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	14	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | a boy |  |  | a polygraph test |  | nervous *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | the machine |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 3 | **lie** *in a quote* | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* Why might it be wrong?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:198-telling-when-someone-may-be-lying:t4:2
# text = Why might it be wrong?
1	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	5	advmod	_	_
2	might	might	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
3	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
4	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	cop	_	_
5	wrong	wrong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | might | test |  |  |  |  | wrong *property* | tree rules |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The machine was switched off during the test

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:198-telling-when-someone-may-be-lying:t4:o1:1
# text = The machine was switched off during the test
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	machine	machine	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj:pass	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
4	switched	switch	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	off	off	ADP	RP	_	4	compound:prt	_	_
6	during	during	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	test	test	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **switch off** | past · passive |  | the machine |  |  | during the test |  | vn convert-26.6.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Machines are always right, so it cannot be wrong

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:198-telling-when-someone-may-be-lying:t4:o2:1
# text = Machines are always right, so it cannot be wrong
1	Machines	machine	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
2	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	4	advmod	_	_
4	right	right	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
6	so	so	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	_
7	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	11	nsubj	_	_
8	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	11	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	11	advmod	_	_
10	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	11	cop	_	_
11	wrong	wrong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Machines |  |  |  |  | always, right *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **not** **is** | can | it |  |  |  |  | wrong *property* | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Polygraphs only work on very small children

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:198-telling-when-someone-may-be-lying:t4:o3:1
# text = Polygraphs only work on very small children
1	Polygraphs	polygraph	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
2	only	only	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
3	work	work	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	on	on	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	very	very	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	small	small	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	children	child	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **work** | present | Polygraphs |  |  |  |  | on small children | vn employment-95.3 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent on child=Theme |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Honest people get nervous too, and the machine measures nerves

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:198-telling-when-someone-may-be-lying:t4:o4:1
# text = Honest people get nervous too, and the machine measures nerves
1	Honest	honest	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	get	get	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	nervous	nervous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	xcomp	_	_
5	too	too	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	machine	machine	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
10	measures	measure	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
11	nerves	nerve	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **get** | present | Honest people |  |  |  |  | nervous *property* | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Experiencer |
| 2 | **measure** | present | the machine | nerves |  |  |  |  | vn register-54.1-2-1 «NP V NP.value»: agent=Theme nerve=Value |

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**Text:** the tests of Mova's primary school, written for Mova (`world/data/school/`), as the course runner gave them to the student. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each text read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

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